Chelsea in the lead against Atlético Madrid after the first leg of the UEFA Women’s Champions League. The most expected tie in the Last 16 didn’t disappoint. A lot of action on both sides, red card, penalties but at the end Chelsea came out on the top, thanks to their goalkeeper Ann-Kathrin Berger who saved two penalties.
In an opening phase without many chances, Pernille Harder had the first attempt in the 11th minute with a shot from the edge of the six-yard box but Hedvig Lindahl managed to deflect it. In the 12th minute, Sophie Ingle was sent off after bringing Rasheedat Ajibade down in the box. Deyna Castellanos stepped up to take the penalty but Ann-Kathrin Berger denied her with an excellent save.
⏱ 96' | #ChelseaAtleti 2️⃣-0⃣
⏹ Acaba el partido de ida de los 1/8 de la @UWCL en Londres.
🔴⚪#AúpaAtleti |⭐ #UWCL pic.twitter.com/5JlPXmu97K
— At. Madrid Femenino (@AtletiFemenino) March 3, 2021
In the second half, Atletico’s defense made a clumsy foul on Sam Kerr, the referee again pointed to the spot and Maren Mjelde successfully put Chelsea in the lead. Five minutes later, the lead was doubled when Fran Kirby – who had hit the post moments earlier – side-footed a low finish beyond Lindahl’s despairing dive to make it 2-0. But Atleti got another chance for a comeback after Berger brought down Ludmila in the box, giving another penalty to Atlético. But Berger guessed again and managed to save Van Dongen’s penalty.
Despite very early dismissal, the Blues managed to hold on and got a nice advantage before the return leg next Wednesday. Due to travel restrictions, the match will be played in Monza, Italy.
TWO penalty saves! 🔥 @Berger_Ann is last night's 𝗣𝗢𝗧𝗠! 🏅 https://t.co/1PxWWFaDks pic.twitter.com/F5nVlovdnc
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) March 4, 2021
Reactions
“I’m so proud of them. The leadership in my group is unbelievable. I don’t know how many teams could go down to 10 against Atletico and do what we did. The first penalty save was crucial because it’s a time when you might wonder how difficult the evening is going to be. The second penalty we conceded was reckless on our part but Ann and our back four deserved the clean sheet.” – Emma Hayes, Chelsea head coach
“Atlético de Madrid competed and played at a good level, even better than expected. We leave angry about the result. We thought we could win, but the result is what matters against a great team like Chelsea. With a converted penalty or two the tie would be more open.” – José Luis Sánchez Vera, Atletico Madrid head coach
Score
Chelsea – Atletico de Madrid 2-0 (0-0)
Scorers: 58′ Maren Mjelde (C) pen, 64′ Fran Kirby (C)
Yellow cards: 44′ Deyna Castellanos (A), 56′ Ji So-Yun (C), 90′ Sam Kerr (C)
Red cards: 12′ Sophie Ingle (C)
Events: 12′ Berger (C) saves Castellanos (A) penalty, 81′ 12′ Berger (C) saves van Dongen’s (A) penalty,